“Oh, look. They were together in high school!!!”

We had permission from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki to take family portraits but we were also sharing the grounds with a wedding party there that day.  That was one of the bridesmaids talking aloud to  her friends as they walked past us. Apparently, the bridesmaid knew my clients, Mike and Beka, from high school days and recognized them as she walked by.   And she said it with the same amazement and excitement one would put into pointing out a celebrity spotting.  And I smiled in agreement.  There is something amazing about high school sweethearts.

I adore my husband, Scott, and one of my only regrets is that I didn’t meet him until I was 24.  I can only learn about his childhood and college years through his stories.  I jealously listen to him reminisce with his friends about the good old days and I wish I had been there see it myself.  We like to debate what things would have been like if we had met earlier.  But I would be very worried that if we had met earlier, we would not have ended up married.  Um, I remember the high school me.  I was a dork and so shy that I would freeze up whenever someone new spoke to me.  He apparently also went through this mullet stage (he thought it was funny).  That might have squashed any chance of there ever being any romantic spark.  Thankfully, we did a lot of growing up before we met each other.  High school sweethearts have to do their growing up together. 

So I am pretty fascinated to watch Beka and Mike interact with each other and their kids.  They treat each other with such love and tenderness.    You could easily mistake them for newlyweds.  They have two beautiful children and one more on the way.  You saw the sneak peek here a few days ago, but here are the rest of the pictures I promised.  Warning, there’s an overload of pictures!!! I had extreme trouble narrowing down my faves.

At my last family portrait photography session with them, Little J a.k.a. “Superboy” was a little shy. Well he has grown up and is shy no longer.  He had everyone constantly cracking up the entire time.  He had a different expression for every picture.  Princess M has grown up so much since the last portrait session.  She still lights up when she smiles and now there is just a softness and a grace to her. 

Joy and I had such an amazing time with them.  After we finished, Mike and Beka were going to take the kids to get ice cream and Mike invited us to come with them.  I was so torn.  I didn’t want the fun to stop but after spending the morning watching Mike and Beka hug and love on their sweeties constantly, I couldn’t wait to go home and be with my own family.  Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys!!!

This is my favorite series of photos. Look at those expressions!!!

She was taking a candy break, hence the bright blue tongue=)

This was a first: I didn't have to prompt them to laugh or make silly faces. They were making each other laugh.

The kids really loved these rocking chairs.

The kids got to bring a second outfit of their choice. J wanted to show his martial arts skills.

If you’re interested in booking a wedding or portrait session, you can contact me!!!  Thanks so much to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for allowing us to have our photo shoot there.  They are one of the most desired venues for weddings here in Hawaii and it was an absolute pleasure to spend a morning there exploring their luxurious hotel.